Sages have often spoken of the necessity of bringing an urgency to our inquiry into the Real – as though we were literally on fire with earnestness. The insinuation is that many inquire from mere intellectual curiosity, or an appetite for philosophical entertainment. Sometimes spiritual seeking becomes a type of insatiable addiction; Trungpa cautioned about that, Krishnamurti too. Dorothy Hunt’s words remind me of the compassionate severity of their words. What drives our inquiry? To what degree are we ready to “get Real”?
How deeply do you want to go in your spiritual life? Are you satisfied with a glimpse now and then of your true nature? A retreat now and then to remind you of the power of Silence? An intellectual knowing of a path, a teaching, or a memory of a past awakened moment – then it’s back to “life as usual”?
How much do you want to live from truth rather than think about it? How much do you want to open your heart and let its love and compassion flow to yourself and to a suffering world? How much energy do you expend trying to “pull the weeds” of your suspected egoic deficiencies, or holding onto the “flowers” of lovely, desired experiences rather than returning to the Ground from which the seeing and being of all moments spring?
What do we DO to keep alive our remembering?
We stop relying on memory of the known, and return again and again to being awake NOW, opening to the moment as it is now, paying attention to the undivided Ground more than weeds or flowers, and being willing to see more and more deeply the subtle ways our conditioned mind attaches, sometimes with great emotion, to its belief in a separate “self.”
Our home ground, our source, is always available. We do not have to import it. We do not create it, and we cannot hold onto it. It is present in every experience. It is in the smile on your face, the frustration of a mind that cannot “get” what it is seeking. It is here now in the taste of morning tea, the challenging boss at work, the beauty of a sunset. It is here seeing, awaring, loving, being all moments, all experiences. As you no doubt have discovered, it is easy to remain awake in heaven. But what is awake is awake in the hellish moments as well. And beyond any experience, there is our true source, “making everything shine.”
© Dorothy Hunt, 2016
In reality there is only the source, dark in itself, making everything shine.
Unperceived, it causes perception. Unfelt, it causes feeling.
Unthinkable, it causes thought.
Non-being gives birth to being.
It is the immovable background of motion.
Once you are there, you are at home everywhere.
–Nisargadatta Maharaj
Also see:
2016 – what I wish for you
continuous awakening – Dorothy Hunt
Dorothy’s words were originally posted at Science and Nonduality – gratitude!
Image source: the incomparable Bob O’Hearn
this unlit light 
Did i send you this before? this great poem – in your right menu minus “2016” –
are you on fire?
grief is a shower of grace
here is where the vista opens:
continuous awakening!
trust the vast nobody lying behind you –
the cosmic chirp!
what I wish for you:
the glory and the terror of it
silence is our real nature
on saving your own life
Oh that’s quite wonderful Nina – thank you for your keen eye! ❤
and Louisa – I want to share this post too – how did you get your permission please?
On non-commercial sites it’s acceptable to share information so long as the protocols of including the writer’s name and linking back to the source are observed. In this case I have linked back to the “Science and Nonduality” website and also to the image source – Bob O’Hearn’s website. In this (spiritual) context of information-sharing I have found that people are very happy to have their content widely aired. But if you wish, you could write to Dorothy herself (her website link is on the ‘wideawake women’ page), or to Maurizio at SAND. They are always gracious and pleased to make contact. 🙂
Dearest Miriam Louisa, thank you for this eloquent expression of how to live this truth of being. Bowing to This, with you . . .
Shanti – we are together bowing to This as it expresses through Dorothy – with deep respect and gratitude. ❤
Right on target—-again. Burn, baby, burn.
I will scatter your Holy ashes to the wind… we will dance together in the sky… oh joy!
❤
“It is present in every experience. It is in the smile on your face, the frustration of a mind that cannot “get” what it is seeking. It is here now in the taste of morning tea, the challenging boss at work, the beauty of a sunset. It is here seeing, awaring, loving, being all moments, all experiences” – Beautifully put Miriam *smiles*
– esme waving from upon the Cloud
I ask myself these questions. What is being asked of me? What does it mean for my everyday life? Am I willing to let it really transform my life? In the Christian view, think of the sections of the bible in which Jesus tells the disciples they must leave their family, their wife, their father, and so on. It may be metaphorical and it conveys the magnitude of the letting go.
Sorry for the tardy response dear Narelle. Your questions are so vital and sincere. I have found that while we can take these biblical offerings as metaphorical there’s an actuality about the process of emptying that has its own logic and agenda. One doesn’t necessarily leave things and people; one leaves the old way of relating as though we are separate entities.
Adyashanti puts it beautifully, if ruthlessly –
“Enlightenment is a destructive process. It has nothing to do with becoming better or being happier. Enlightenment is the crumbling away of untruth. It’s seeing through the facade of pretense. It’s the complete eradication of everything we imagined to be true.”
I have come to think of this process as an infinite journey down the Via Negativa…
With love and blessings, ml
I think you might like this:
I am a blogger dedicated to share what Alexandre says.
My name is Sara and I had been a spiritual seeker for a long time until I found Alexandre and his unique way. I also found myself in that encounter…
Alexandre is what is called nowadays a modern mystic, although he declines every and any kind of definition.
The “standpoint” from where he speaks gives him the authority to affirm so vehemently what he says, and we can feel it… sometimes he is tender, other funny, many very patient, but he can also be very direct and “cut the crap” kind of way.
He partakes his view with others, with no other interest than sharing his point of view.
The published texts presented in the blog are transcribed from recorded talks with Alexandre and a close group of friends with whom he partakes his discoveries.
Some other texts are written words from Alexandre.
If you’re inclined to know more about him and what he says, take a look at: http://www.whatalexandresays.wordpres s.com
Please, leave a comment…
Thank You,
Sara
Thanks for your comment Sara.
For anyone interested in checking out Alexandre’s wisdom the correct link is:
https://whatalexandresays.wordpress.com
It’s always a joy to hear about wise and generous beings such as Alexandre – thank you!
-ml
Miriam,
Thank You.
(Told Alexandre about your comment…and he said to thank You),
Best Regards,
Sara